Letters from the Heart
by kz4valentina
Summary: AU. Christian has a secret admirer. What if Ana and Christian had met back in seventh grade? Light-hearted story. Complete for now.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

I wrote this as a way to cure writer's block and ended up liking it. Hope you enjoy :) It's short but it's only the prologue. Later chapters will be in first person, alternating POV's.

* * *

Prologue

Ana had a crush, a big crush. The object of her affection was not the most popular boy. He mostly kept to himself, but that only made him even more attractive in her eyes.

When she became aware of this crush, a dilemma began to form. She was not really friends with Christian. She only knew him primarily because his locker was adjacent to hers but also because she sat next to him in art class. So she resorted to eavesdropping, and in this way, she pieced together his schedule, and gained other personal information. Among other things, she learned that Christian hated peas when a friend of his named Jack came up to him eating a potato salad topped with eggs and peas.

Seeing him day after day by the lockers was not enough for Ana, but what else could she do? She wasn't one of those outgoing girls with loads of admirers of the opposite sex at their heels. In fact, not one of her friends was a boy so she didn't have the faintest idea what boys were really like. That's why it was so hard to talk to Christian and admit her love.

And then she made the mistake of asking her mother for advice. "You're just a baby," she'd laughed, throwing her head back with utmost delight. And then, to add insult to injury, she even had the nerve to suggest she ought to be playing with Barbies like the good little girl next door.

One day, Ana got tired of waiting for prince charming to notice her. It was time to take action. Yes, she was going to write him a letter. It was the perfect way to at least get his attention.

The thing was, a regular letter wouldn't do. She didn't even had the courage to give it to him directly. So she thought of an alternate method. She was going to write the letter and place it on her locker instead of his.

" _To Christian, from your secret admirer."_

She printed the words on the outside of the envelope, and stuck it on her locker after he'd left school. She made sure to wrinkle the envelope though as though to appear as though someone had stuffed it through the door even made a show of attempting to pull the envelope out of the slot the following morning when she and Christian arrived at their locker.

"Wh-what's this?" She wondered out loud, going through her locker and peeling off the letter in an obvious fashion. "Oh, I think it's for you."

Christian glanced down at it, half-astonished, half-drowsy, it was morning after all. Besides, he was a growing boy who needed all the sleep he could get.

"Is it a love letter?" She added with enthusiasm but he was too bewildered to notice. Why would anyone go to all the trouble of writing him a letter and stuff it in the wrong locker?

He opened it and began to read it silently.

 _Dear Christian:_

 _You're the most attractive boy I know. You're my crush, I just wanted to know I think about you all the time. I hope one day you think of me as much as I think of you,_

 _With all my love,_

 _Your secret admirer._

Christian chuckled. "A secret admirer!"

Ana was mortified and partially hid behind her locker door to hide the flush to her cheeks. _Oh, no, He thinks my letter is ridiculous!_

"Well, um, I know it's none of my business but maybe, um...I could help you find out who your secret admirer is."

Christian closed his locker and gathered his things, "maybe," he mumbled distractedly and was about to walk away when she spoke again, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Maybe you should try replying to it."

"Um. But how am I gonna give her my letter?"

Ana bit her lip. "Well, you could try and tape the envelope onto my locker door," she casually suggested.

"Maybe," he casually replied, swinging one strap of his backpack strap over his shoulder. He hesitated for a moment, watching her biting her lip like that did things to him that he couldn't quite understand. But he wasn't worried about that. Right now it was all about surviving seventh grade. And with that thought, he walked away, off to class.

She watched him walk away with a dreamy look in her eyes. He was so cute! She was going to marry him one day, and he didn't even know it, she giggled.

 **A/N:**

 **REVIEW if you like this.** Yes, in this story both Christian and Ana are in 7th grade. Tentative plan: Later chapters will feature them in high school and then later as adults **.**


	2. Dear Knight in Shinning Armor

Chapter One

And he did reply to her letter the very next day.

As luck would have it, Ana had to stay late after school to finish her art project. She thought it was be perfect; now she could get his reply without having to worry that he would catch her reading it. But as she walked to her locker she walked past him. Darn it! Why was he just standing around even after turning in his project?

Aha! A stake out. Well, she wasn't about to fall for it. So she closed her locker and went to walk past him again.

"Are you on a stake out? She boldly asked.

"Yeah," Christian admitted. He was a little embarrassed and trying his best not to show it. "But it's already past five and no luck."

"Yeah, it's getting late. I hope your parents aren't worried."

Christian shrugged.

"Well, I'm off, good luck!" Ana said as she walked away. Wow, that was awkward and yet so nice. With her head on cloud nine she headed toward the bathroom. She would wait there for a few minutes until she was certain he was gone. There was hardly anyone left in the school and he was bound to give up for the day.

After fifteen minutes, Ana exited the bathroom and tip toed toward the lockers. It was risky, yes but she couldn't wait there all day. If he was still there it would be pretty obvious why she was still around. Fortunately, he had left and the best part was that he'd left a reply. Yay!

Ana walked home from school with a spring in her step. All she could think about was locking herself in her room and read the letter in complete solitude. She hoped her mother would be gone already on one of her dates so she could have the house all to herself. She knew she was in luck as soon as she let herself inside the house and climbed the steps to the bedrooms. Her room was next to her mother's and since her mom was in the habit of leaving the door ajar, she peeked in and saw her getting all dolled up. Yay!

She tiptoed to her room as quiet as a mouse, locked the door and dropped her backpack somewhere on the floor. I-pod in hand, she toggled to her favorite Taylor Swift song and connected it to the portable speakers. And then plopped down on the bed face first, clutching HIS letter.

 _Dear Secret Admirer:_

 _Thank you for your letter, I was shocked by it. No one has ever written me a love letter before._

 _I really wish I knew who you are so we can talk face to face. Unless you wanna make it a guessing game which can also be fun too even if it keeps me awake at night thinking. What do you wanna do?_

 _Thinking of you,_

 _Sleepless knight in shinning armor_

 _ps._ _You got the wrong locker._ _The locker next to mine belongs to a girl named Ana. She was kind enough to give me this letter._

Ana let out a squeal. Seeing that Christian had referred to her by name AND also described her as kind made her INSANELY HAPPY! And so she danced around the room to the tune of _Shake it Off_ , holding the letter close to her heart. She might have to wait a day or so before she replied though, she didn't want to seem too eager. Besides, she needed time to think. Did she really want to keep him guessing? _Oh, please, Ana, it's not like you're actually going to tell him who you are,_ she chuckled to herself. In any event, this was turning out to be more exciting that she could have ever imagined!

Naturally, she spent the next few minutes daydreaming and trying to find her lucky pen—fine point, smudge- free.

 _Dear Christian:_

 _You are sooo funny!_

No, no, scratch that! What if he even wasn't trying to be funny? He MIGHT feel insulted.

 _Dear Christian:_

 _You're as sweet as a chocolate chip cookie!_

No, no, that's even worse! Just cos' he thinks you're sweet doesn't mean you should call him that. Remember, guys don't want to be thought of as sweet. They want to be thought of as having a tough, rugged exterior like...hmm like...Brad Pitt ( but NOT that _old_ of course).

She crumbled the paper and started over with a new sheet.

 _Dear Knight in Shinning Armor:_

Ah, see, that's much better, Ana. Nice start.

Keep it up, Ana, you MIGHT actually become the next Danielle Steel one day. Hmm. Let's see my name on the New York Times Bestsellers list... Anastasia Steele. Nah. Too much like Cinderella's evil step sister. Ana Steel. A little boring, I know. How about Anna Steele? Oh, yes. The double 'n' and the 'e' at the end of Steele makes it more distinctive.

She was still smiling when a loud knock on her door brought her out of her reverie. "Whaaat?"

Her mother's voice boomed through the door. Ana opened the door a tiny bit and put her foot behind the door so that it could only open an inch.

Carla pushed her way through the door, leaving Ana no choice but to step back. She was dressed in a stunning red cocktail dress that showed way too much cleavage. "We have company tonight."

Ana couldn't have been more surprised; this was so unlike the usual routine. Whenever her mother went out on a date, shes stayed out past midnight and she never even brought the man in question inside their home. And if she did, Ana never knew about it.

"Does Jim Bob want Macaroni and Cheese for dinner?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny. For your information, we are going out to dinner, the three of us. He wants to spend sometime getting to know you."

"Getting to know _me_?"

"Oh, and it's not Jim Bob, stop calling him that. His name is Stephen." Carla curtly replied. Her eyes narrowed, appraising her daughter as she might a domesticated creature she was prepared to buy. "Oh, and change into something nice, would you?"

Ana rolled her eyes and let out a huff. She was wearing her best skinny style jeans and her prettiest top.

"How about a dress? Nothing too revealing though. " And with that Carla turned to leave as if she no longer cared for the answer to her question.

The moment Ana came downstairs to find her mom and Stephen holding onto each other like a couple of horny teenagers, she feared that they would do something stupid like getting married. The thought scared the living daylights out of Ana. Why on earth did Carla believe that bringing him here was a good idea? And if she had to bring him couldn't she at the very least keep her hand off his butt while they were here? Yep, her mother had her hand tucked inside the man's back pocket.

Ana willed herself to take a deep breath and faked a smile, even under her mother' s disapproval. She knew her mother was furious over the fact that was still wearing the same outfit and was trying her best to ignore her.

"Ana, darling, this is Stephen," Carla spoke with an equally fake smile.

"Ana. Pleased to meet you, sweetheart. I've heard so much about you."

Stephen stood up to shake her hand but Ana just stared at him. The man was heavy built, dark hair and sported a wispy goatee. Ana couldn't help but stare at his upper lateral incisors capped in silver. Decidedly creepy. Back in nursery school, her teacher had read a book titled: _Not every body is nice_. This man looked _exactly_ like that creep who tried to lure poor little Susie into his car by dangling a large candy bar in front of her trusting eyes.

"Ana! Where are your manners?" Carla scolded, shaking her head. As if she hadn't done enough already to make her look bad, her daughter had also dared to defy her by refusing to comply with her request to change into a nicer outfit.

Most reluctantly, Ana shook hands with the man she still called Jim Bob in her head. And she had to pull her hand out of his grasp when he continued holding it way longer than necessary but her mom was too star-struck to notice or care.

"Ana, grab your coat, we're going out to Red Lobster."

"Your mom says it's your favorite," Stephen/Jim Bob flashed her that silver toothy smile which made her shudder.

The last thing Ana wanted was to be anywhere near this...this man. Plus, she needed to get back to her letter. "I got homework to do, mom."

"Don't be silly, darling, it's Friday. I'm sure you can catch up over the weekend," Carla flashed her signature fake happy smile.

"Mom!" Ana protested but she already knew she had no chance of winning. If she dared cross her mother, the woman would end up turning off her Wi-Fi connection or something equally mean spirited.

Things went from bad to worse when later, during dinner, Ana reached told the waiter she wanted a chocolate sundae for desert and her mother said, "Do you really want that dear? A moment on the lips, forever on the hips."

Stephen let out a laugh, silver teeth shinning and Anna felt angry and humiliated.

The worst part came when they announced they were getting married and Carla flashed her ring around as though she was making the announcement to a large gathering. Ana was shocked into silence for a full minute, she didn't even know this guy. Was she expected to shout her congratulations? It had been three years since her parents' divorce but to her it was only yesterday. She remembered coming home one day to find her dad with his bags packed and telling her she could come and stay with him every summer.

"You don't seem thrilled, darling. I'd think you' d be happy for me, after all the misery I went through with your father."

Ana shook her head in disbelief. "Well...I hope you're both VERY HAPPY!" she spat, her voice loud and artificial. She hated this. She'd been secretly hoping for a reconciliation, life had not been the same since her daddy -her favorite parent-had left.

"Ana!" Her mother reprimanded.

"Maybe she's worried of being left out," Stephen reasoned, giving Ana a roguish look. "Don't worry Ana, I love little children, especially little girls like you. And I promise you I won't take your mommy away from you."

Ana hated the way THAT man talked to her as if she's four years old. She hated how he looked at her-his gaze made her uncomfortable in a new way she didn't fully comprehend.

Later that night, Ana tossed and turned in bed, her head reeling from the events of the day. Until she remembered she hadn't finished her letter to Christian, and it was as if a golden light were suddenly shinning in her brain.

 _Dear Sleepless Knight in Shinning Armor:_

 _I am close and yet so far..._

Yep, this will certainly keep him guessing who I am. Hmm...what else?

 _I will supply you with plenty of clues_

 _You just stay tuned_

Ah. I don't know, something about it sounds rather lame. Scratch that.

 _If you don't mind staying tuned,_

 _I will supply you with plenty of clues_

Better. Yes.

 _A very special gift I send to you, it's an old Indian nickel that will bring you good luck on your math test this Monday._

Huh. That part doesn't rhyme.

 _would you please keep it close to your heart?_

 _Love,_

 _Your Secret Admirer._

 _ps. The nickel is taped to the back of this letter :)_

Ana sighed. She couldn't wait for Christian to read her letter on Monday.

 **A/N:**

PLEASE REVIEW, this story is in its infancy and even though I have a plan, I'm open to suggestions of what you want/ don't want to see happening. I haven't read many FSOG stories, but I think we can agree: there's no need for another story with Ana running. Anything else?

…...


	3. Chapter 3

The following Monday

It occurred to Ana that now that Christian had informed her about the mix-up, she could no longer pretend that she didn't know it was the wrong locker. Problem was, if she started placing her letters in his locker, there was every chance that he would read the letters at a later time when she wasn't around...and darn it, she wanted to be around to catch his reaction.

What could she do? She couldn't really ask anybody for advice, could she?

Except maybe her friend Liliana. She had three girlfriends and out of the three, Liliana was the only one she could truly trust. Still, she hesitated. What if word got out and somehow Christian found out?

"You got to tell me who it is."

"Who?"

"Who is it this time?" When Ana didn't respond, Liliana went on, "I'm worried about you, you're boy crazy."

"We're gonna be late for class," Ana said distractedly. According to her calculations, Christian should be showing up at his locker any moment.

In the end, she decided to put the letter in her locker exactly in the same way as before.

"Hey, look, another love letter, did you reply to the other one?"

"Yes," He said and eagerly took the new letter out of Ana's hands, "I mentioned that she got my locker wrong and she still put the letter in your locker," Christian said studying her for a moment. "You think I should mention it again?"

"No, no," Ana nearly yelled. She quickly composed herself. "Aren't you afraid that would make her feel dumb?" If he did that, there would be no reason for the real Ana to talk to Christian as they would have nothing in common to talk about. "I mean, she's already taking a big risk by writing you a letter. I think you shouldn't say anything..."

"Yeah...I guess I didn't think of that. I guess I won't mention it. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, see you in art!" And with that she left.

Art? Thought Christian to himself. So she was in his art class. Of course! He knew she was in one of his classes but he didn't remember which. But what could you expect? He wasn't all that interested in people in general, he was a bit of a loner. Besides, there was a lot going through his mind right now. Home life had been a night mare in the last six months. His family had moved to Seattle over the summer and his parents were on the brink of a divorce . They were openly discussing split custody and all and he felt this pressure to take sides. There was so much tension at home, he often found himself staying out late at night so he wouldn't have to go home. His grades were going down the drain and the only class he didn't want to miss was art class.

Once the principal had called home to say one of his teachers had complained for using bad language ( specifically he'd said the F word). The thing was, his parents were hypocrites for getting on his case when they themselves were calling each other all sorts of names during their scary-as-hell arguments.

Later the same day

Ana was running late for art class. went in the classroom and saw Christian sitting in the same bench where she normally sat. The bench could easily accommodate six students and only three were already sitting there. Still, Ana hesitated. One thousand thoughts crossed her mind and yet she simply stood there. He looked at her and she looked at him with a slight smile on their faces.

And yet, without saying anything, Ana went to sit on the opposite bench.

Grrr. Why did I do that? Why did I miss the chance of sitting beside him?

Ana was so angry at herself she WANTED someone to punch her in the face.

I didn't even have the guts to sit beside my crush.

Their Teacher, Mrs. Dunn was kind woman in her thirties, her hair blonde and in a messy bun. She wore almost no make-up and spent most of her free time preparing for the classes she was teaching. She considered it her duty to provide her students with a life-long appreciation and love of art. She decorated her classrooms with replicas of well-known artists and posters with the principles of art and rules for respect in the classroom. She also believed in providing students with time for socialization and allowed about the first fifteen minutes of her class for creative thinking time where students were free to spend time thinking about what they wanted to paint or discussing ideas with their classmates.

"Class, today we're going to focus on color. When we look at anything, the first thing we notice is color. Color comes before texture or pattern. Because, believe it or not, color is what will make or break a project. Color affects us psychologically, emotionally. Color can speak louder than words, louder than music. Today, we're going to create art from meditation. We're going to sit with a partner and ask ourselves what colors we're feeling and just wait for an answer. It's important that we trust our creative process and not worry about the end result. Sometimes, the answer will come to us in a flash, and sometimes, it will takes us several minutes. If after several minutes you still don't know what to do ask your partner. After we have our colors gathered on the table, we need to start designing. Doodle if you must but keep working. Add a few shades to the color combination you chose. You need to allow each shade to be seen and felt. You will get a harmony of colors if you allow yourself to be relaxed and free."

Some of the kids started getting bored and fidgeting with their paints and art supplies

Knowing that her time was now limited, she clapped her hands and added, " Everybody, It's important to remember that when you're looking at a mosaic up close, it is obvious they are individual pieces. It's only when you move back that the colors appear unified." She smiled and walked around the classroom making positive comments as the students were planning their creations.

She later paired up the students in groups of two. Christian and Jenny got paired up. Jenny had a big smile on her face when she looked at Christian and a twinkle in her brown eyes. They seem to hit it off right away. Every time Ana glanced their way she saw them beaming at each other and nodding their heads in shared enjoyment.

Ana sagged. Her body posture reflecting what she was thinking. My life is over.

"Hey," Liliana said to Ana She moved from her own group to work next to Ana and Martha, the girl Ana had been paired with. "A penny for your thoughts."

Ana gave her friend a thin smile and said nothing. Instead, she focused on what Christian was telling the teacher.

"I just want to use ALL shades of gray, no other colors, just gray."

"Well, I suggest you mix other colors too," the teacher said.

"Mine is gonna be a fox in ALL shades of gray." Christian insisted.

"How many shades?" Someone at Christian's table asked.

"Ah, gray is such a dull color," another student quipped.

"It's his last name." A girl quipped back.

"Class, who can tell me how many shades of gray can the human eye see?"

Before Ana could catch herself, she blurted out an answer. "Fifty." She and Christian exchanged a look and just for the moment, they shared the tiniest of smiles and then for that brief moment, all was well in Ana's world.

"Close," Mrs. Dunn smiled. "The human eye can distinguish about 32 shades of gray.

That night after he got home, Christian found a nice 'thank you' card and used it to write his reply to his secret admirer. He avoided his parents as much as possible, went straight to his room claiming he had a headache.

Dear Secret Admirer:

Don't be shy, please tell me who you are.

Guess what

Today in art class I painted a mosaic in all shades of blue (okay, it was gray but blue rhymes)

and I did it for you

Come forward my love, I already know it's you!

ps. Thanks for the lucky nickel. Tomorrow you'll be in for a big surprise!

Your Knight In Shinning Armor

The next day, Christian tiptoed downstairs, his goal was to grab a quick breakfast and not see anybody. But he quickly realized his parents and his baby sister Mia were in the kitchen having an early breakfast. Their voices were unusually quiet and that's how he knew they were talking about him so he lingered, the weight of his backpack weighing him down.

"What worries me is that he's only twelve, and he's already so rebellious," his mother cried.

"Stop it, it's not like he's a trouble maker. He's practically thirteen, Chalk it up to teenage hormones."

"Hormones? Hormones my *** Christian heard his mother clear her throat like she did every time she wanted to cuss but little ears were listening. "Hmm...you want to wait until he gets suspended from school?"

"He'll be fine, we'll get him a job to teach him some responsibility."

"What do you mean?"

"Yard work, mowing laws, that sort of thing."

Christian clutched the wooden handrail tightly and shook his head. His family was upper-middle class, it was not as if they needed the money. His monthly allowance alone was a little over half the national minimum wage.

"Mommy? Can I have another pancake?"

"Sure, sweetheart." Pause. "You can't be serious?"

"That's what I did when as a kid, mowed lawns and did pretty well, taught me some independence. As a matter of fact, I know someone who could use some help around her yard. She's recently divorced and..."

"Mommy, can you pack a Snickers bar in my lunch box?"

"No, no. I only did that one time as a reward. I can't put a candy bar in your lunch every day." Long pause. "Hey, finish your breakfast. You didn't even touch your eggs."

"I'm full!" his sister Mia complained loudly. She was in second grade and had spent all weekend sick with a high fever.

"Are you feeling sick again? He heard his mother ask in a concerned tone.

At this point, Christian decided he didn't need to hear any more and so he tiptoed to the front door and exited the house. It was decidedly laughable that they would even consider making him do manual labor. Ha! Ridiculous!

Christian rode his bike to school and while he was locking his bike on the biking rack, he spotted Jenny walking towards him. She looked gorgeous in a pink dress and white heels. She was smiling at him as though it was Christmas morning. He got to thinking that could only mean one thing: Jenny was his secret admirer. He'd suspected as much yesterday in art class when she kept flashing her pearly whites and twirling her smooth blonde hair. She was the one, it had to be her.

"I know it's you." He said triumphantly.

Jenny stared at him blankly. "Me? What did I do?"

"My secret admirer." Christian beamed.

Jenny took a moment to think. "Yeah."

Christian cocked his head, intrigued. "What's the matter, did the cat get your tongue?"

"Hmm...I'm just embarrassed." She looked around her nervously. Lies always made her uncomfortable. But if Christian thought she was his secret admirer, then she was in heaven. Ever since the school year started, she'd been dying to get Christian to notice her. This must be her lucky day. "Christian, could we please not talk about this ever again?"

Christian shrugged. "Suit yourself."

 **A/N:**

I just changed the story description and added the part about NO DARK THEMES.

What you can expect from this point forward: There will be some drama and fluffiness. Also, both Ana and Christian have their flaws, they're good people. And Christian IS NOT a bad guy, I just can't write him like that.


	4. Pinky Promises

**A/N:**

Samdimples swarek: I borrowed your idea for Ana' s letter to Christian in this chapter :)

Dear readers: Thank you for reviews, favorites and follows and for taking a chance by reading a story by someone other than your most popular writers on here :D It means a lot, I do get Happy!

About this chapter: keep in mind their ages before you imagination runs wild. They're both twelve, Christian is a few months older, almost thirteen.

* * *

Now that he knew who his secret admirer was, it seemed silly to leave her another letter at the lockers. Giving her the letter in person was absolutely out of the question; the more he thought about it, the more his gut told him not to do it. His latest letter was sort of stupid ( it didn't even rhyme for heaven's sake!). And so he decided to NEVER show her the letter.

"See you at lunch," Christian said to Jenny before they parted ways and headed for their lockers. Jenny's locker was across from his and quite a ways from his. He was feeling pretty good for having figured it all out and he was trying to hang on to that feeling even as he walked over to his locker, recalling how Jenny had even tried to hide it. Haha, she'd even looked a little flustered when he told her he knew she was his secret admirer.

"Hi," Ana said. She had been busy looking for something but she immediately looked up when she saw him approach out of the corner of her eye. He looked specially tall, no wonder grown-ups always joke around and say kids grow overnight like weeds. Indeed, he was one of the tallest, if not the tallest seventh graders she knew.

"Ana, you won't believe what happened." He held her curious gaze for a second or two. "I figured out who my secret admirer is." He added somehow missing how the color drained from her face, as he quickly spoke the next sentence. "It's Jenny."

"Whaaat?" Ana stared at Christian for the longest time. No. Somehow this piece of information did not compute. "How?" She asked breathlessly.

"She was flirting with me in art class," Christian grinned. He looked over at Jenny (who winked at him) and Ana followed his gaze _Oh, well,_ it seemed so anticlimactic now that he and Ana no longer had something to share. It seemed to him that this whole thing should have ended up with a little bit more of a bang. And the worst part seemed to be that Ana was now frowning at him. Perhaps disappointed that it was all over?

"That can't be," Ana said her gaze shifting between Jenny and Christian. "It doesn't make sense...Jenny IS NOT the type of girl to write notes," she nearly growled. "I doubt she even knows how to spell."

Christian stepped back just as Liliana appeared and said hi. He banged the locker door shut and swung one of the backpack straps over his shoulder. "See you around." He felt Ana's gaze as he walked away and met up with Jenny. He did notice that Jenny gave Ana a triumphant look just before walking away with him and it did bother him more than he could say at the moment.

…...

Ana decided she needed to let Christian know for sure that Jenny wasn't his secret admirer. And it seemed like the best time to do it was during art class. She didn't want to wait until tomorrow morning and they met again at the lockers, since there was a good chance today she wouldn't meet him again at the lockers.

Today's class was a little boring. As usual, they all sat at the tables in groups of six. Mr's Dunn was showing them slides of famous artist while they took notes. Ana put a hand to her mouth and stifled a yawn. She then tore a piece of paper and wrote:

 _Dear Knight in Shinning Armor:_

 _I'm soo disappointed we didn't get paired up in art class ):_

 _love your eagle art and ALL your 50 shades!_

 _Always and forever,_

 _Your Secret Admirer_

Of course it annoyed her to learn that Jenny was posing as HIS Secret Admirer. Somehow, she had to find the way to expose her lying ways. She folded the note in half, scribbled HIS name and gave it to Liliana with a wink. "Pass it to Christian." All her friend had to do was pass it to the table beside her until it made it way to the other side until it made her to the recipient.

Predictably, the note made it around Christian's table. Unbeknownst to Ana, one of Jenny's friends happened to be looking in Ana's direction and so her eyes followed the procession of the note until it finally made it into Christian''s hands. Later, the girl in question whispered something in Jenny's ear. Further, right before the bell rang, Jenny whispered something in someone else's ear and so on.

Christian unwrapped a stick of gum and shoved it quickly into his mouth before reading the note. He lifted his gaze and made eye contact with Jenny who was sitting across from him and made sure she knew something was wrong. He was angry she'd lied to him. Did she think he was some damn fool?

His gaze then shifted to the sea of faces around him for a clue but some clearly pretended they were actually more interested in paying attention to Mrs. Dunn.

…...

"Christian wait!" Jenny shouted in the hallway trailing behind him.

"Don't talk to me again," Christian hissed moving down to the back of the line at the cafeteria.

"Please tell me what's wrong," Jenny persisted.

Christian didn't want to talk to her but now he was stuck in line with her. "I got a note in class from my REAL secret admirer," he glared at her.

Jenny took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry."

Christian turned away. His mother would say he should put his pride aside and that he was too much of a grudge holder. But he just couldn't go around having other people think he was an easy target. "I never liked you much anyway," he spat back.

She flinched, shook her head and blinked. "You don't mean that..."

"The hell I do," he replied a little too loudly. Other people turned to stare at them which made Jenny very uncomfortable.

"You're gonna be sorry...nobody...nobody talks to me that way," Jenny sneered and stormed off. She left without a lunch to sit with her friends to bitch about him he supposed.

…...

Ana picked up her lunch tray and thanked the nice lady at the register before making her way in the direction where she and her friends usually sat.

"Ana! We're here!"

"Ana is daydreaming about boys again," said Liliana, even though now she knew it was one boy in particular Ana was infatuated with.

Ana turned to Liliana innocently. "What?"

"Don't try to hide it," said Betsy with a slow grin. "We know."

Liliana nodded. "Yeah, we know."

"It's starting to worry us." Jane sighed. "You're living in La-La land, as my dad would say."

"And we miss you, Ana."

Ana smiled at her friends. They were actually mistaken. She wasn't daydreaming about boys. There was only one boy she cared about and that was christian but she wasn't about to tell them that. "You're imagining things." She hated to admit it, but she was starting to understand why her friends seemed happier without being boy crazy. Maybe that was one of the reasons people called it 'boy-crazy'-maybe it actually made you crazy.

"There she is!" a guy's voice suddenly exclaimed. Ana looked up to see a short blond boy standing next to Christian and other seventh grade boys. "That's the girl who wrote that stupid note in art class."

Ana wanted to disappear. She wanted the wooden floors to swallow her whole. She jumped up, spilling her drink all over the tray and onto he floor, and then she made a beeline for the door. The whole episode drew stares from every one nearby and the sound of laughter followed her all the way to the nearest bathroom (or so she thought). She ran there as fast as she could, her cheeks burning with embarrassment and intended to stay there as long as possible.

Of course, her girlfriends had to follow her there and be supportive and ALL!

"Okay, you can't hide in the bathroom forever," Liliana warned. Ana had locked herself behind a stall and everyone could hear her sniffles.

"Ana, open the door, sweetie," Betsy said in a motherly fashion.

"Christian wants to talk to you," Jane said. She had been the last one to leave the cafeteria as Christian had intercepted her to pose the the question.

"I don't want him to see me like this!" Ana bemoaned. She was crying loudly now and hated the fact that she was crying. "Who's out there?" She asked, thinking that other girls must be gathered around watching the spectacle that had captured the lively interest of everyone at Montgomery middle school.

"It's only us," Liliana reassured her. Of her three friends, Liliana was the prettiest and the most outgoing. She had slick dirty blonde hair which always looked perfectly combed and styled. But the best thing about Liliana was that she and Ana had been friends ever since their firsts day in second grade. Liliana had initiated the interaction by asking Ana if she wanted to be best friends.

"Oh, Lily! What am I gonna do now? I can't just die or be transferred to another school, can I?" She sniffled. She took a moment to blow her nose. The pain of the sure loss of her crush was unbearable. How could he want her now that she'd been the object of ridicule in the entire school. "I don't know...how can I go back now and face everybody?"

"Come out of there, Ana. That's the first step."

After what seemed like an eternity to the other girls, Ana came out of the stall, her face red and blotchy. It might very well be the worst decision of her life, Ana thought grimly. But she simply couldn't go back to class. "I'm sick." She announced before heading out to the health office to see the school nurse.

That night Ana got in bed with a wounded soul and her favorite stuffed animal, a pink unicorn. Even though the next morning, she was relieved to find that the pain and redness were gone from her face, she still couldn't go back to school. So after her mom was gone for work in the morning she called the school office and reported herself as sick. It felt decidedly weird to make the call as it was so out of character. Ana was a straight A student. Her mom trusted her, left her on autopilot; she would never suspect her daughter doing anything improper. Tears of shame ran down her face, _oh, Lord_ , here she was skipping school, something she never though she would ever do.

"Oh, Ana, stop feeling sorry for yourself. Sooner or later you gotta come back to school." Liliana told her over the phone later that afternoon after school.

…...

Three days later, Ana was still home. She managed to call in sick every day without her mom noticing, but then again, her mom didn't care enough to notice the numerous clues she'd left behind. She was too infatuated with her new love, often bringing him home and having him spend the night in her bed.

That same evening someone knocked on her door when she was home alone (her mom and Stephen were out on a date). She couldn't have been more surprised to see Christian standing on her doorstep.

"Christian," she breathed. "How...how did you know where I live?"

Christian shrugged on shoulder. "I have my sources," he replied confidently. He'd heard the line in a movie and he thought it was cool; he'd been just waiting for the right time to use it.

Ana bit her lip furiously. Memories of her last day at school came to mind and she hated she was blushing. "I don't know what to say."

The lip biting sent butterflies to his stomach and shot his blood pressure through the roof ( as his father was so fond of saying). "Let me come inside."

"Of course," Ana said opening the door wider. She then motioned for him to sit in the living room. He chose and armchair and Ana sat nervously on the couch across from him.

"Been worried about you," he said with a tiny smile and Ana melted. It was so sweet of him to say that and to care enough to come and visit her. "So you're my secret admirer." He paused. He didn't speak again until she reciprocated his small smile. "I knew it, I knew it all along."

Ana struggled to conceal her grin. "You did?"

His smile widened. "Yep."

Ana wasn't sure he was only just saying that, but it didn't matter. All she cared about was that it made her feel a little better.

" I loved your letters," he said sincerely. "And just because I know it's you, you shouldn't stop writing them, okay?"

"Okay," she readily agreed. She would have said yes to anything he said.

"One more thing..."

She looked at him with dreamy eyes. "Yeah?"

"You can't keep skipping school. People are gonna start getting suspicious. Take it from me." He shrugged in a way he thought made him look cool. "I''ve mastered the art of skipping school. You can't do too many days in a row like that. You got to do one class at a time, different days and NOT in a row."

Her smile faded. "You shouldn't cut school either."

"I know," he gave her the tiniest little wink. "I can't now because you'll be there to notice."

"And pull you by the ears," she chuckled.

"Exactly." His grin was so infectious she thought she would die from happiness. Her earlier grief over what everyone at school would say magically forgotten. Christian was the only one that mattered at this moment.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Deal!" She leaned forward on the couch. "Pinky promise?"

"You have my BEST promise."

Ana was not satisfied with that.

"What's so special about a pinky promise?"

Ana thought about it for a moment. "Well, you can't break a pinky promise.

"Very well," he paused wanting to add something cool to that . "Nothing but a pinky promise will do, huh?" He added smiling.

"Give me your hand."

Christian stretched out his hand and Ana got to kneel on the floor in front of him and wrapped her pinky finger around his pinky finger like a loop. She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed the back of his thumb, their hands wrapped together in a tight fist and with their pinkies curled up.

"You have to kiss your thumb at the same time I kiss mine while still holding on with our pinkies."

He dropped to his knees to be at her same level. He felt light like he was floating on a cloud and he could tell she felt the same. They both smiled as they simultaneously complied with the requisites for a pinky promise.

"That's a pinky promise...you must never break a pinky promise," she reiterated. "You must be there for me just like I will be there for you."

He cocked his head. "Making sure neither one of us skips school."

"Right..".She smiled wider. "Okay?"

He reciprocated her lovely smile. "Okay."

They stared into each other's eyes. Ana was sure he was now getting ready to kiss her on the lips. Her girlhood dreams of the perfect first kiss where like Mia _in Princess Diarie_ s, she wanted the world to stop and for her foot to pop.

Before she knew what was happening, he had planted a soft chaste kiss on her lips. _Ahh...and it was a soft peck, quite sweet and much better than she could have ever imagined._

 **A/N:**

As it turned out, I'm **really liking this as an ending** even though it wasn't what I had in mind when I first posted this story *'shrugs*

Do review and follow in case I get inspired to continue. I may just continue this in the future rather than starting a new story just because it's really hard to come up with a new storyline on here ( original, unique) there are just so many already out there about everything imaginable. I'm thinking no one else has written a story with them starting this young but who knows? Thanks so much for reading and supporting this little wee story of mine. Have a great Thanksgiving :)

PS. If you haven't already, do check out my other story: For a Thousand Years, currently has 22 chapters


End file.
